City Commission Briefs

New bicycle ordinance gets preliminary OK

Lawrence city commissioners signaled their support Tuesday for a new ordinance to regulate bicycle parking in town.

The ordinance allows the parking of bicycles on sidewalks and meter posts, unless the vehicles obstruct pedestrian travel or disabled parking spaces. Voluntary registration of bicycles, for a 25-cent fee, would continue to be encouraged. Locking bikes to trees and street signs, however, would be prohibited.

Commissioners agreed to place the ordinance on a future agenda for approval.

City puts new bite into snow-removal law

A new ordinance making it costly for property owners to leave snow unshoveled on their sidewalks appears headed for city commission approval.

The ordinance will require property owners to shovel their sidewalks within 24 hours of a snowfall, or face a $20 fine. The ordinance will be enforced when complaints are made to the city.

Commissioners agreed Tuesday to place the ordinance on a future agenda for formal approval.

Bar wants changes to site plan restriction

A downtown bar doesn't want to be responsible for trash created by new neighbors.

Replay Lounge, 946 Mass., operates under a site plan that allows it to have a patio garden on the building's east side but only if there are no "legitimate" complaints from neighbors about noise and trash.

Now, a building containing 20 loft apartments is being built across the alley from the patio garden, adjacent to the city's new parking garage. And the bar's owners are worried the new residents will create trash that gets blamed on Replay.

Price Banks, the bar's attorney, asked commissioners in a letter to remove the trash condition from the bar's site plan. Commissioners on Tuesday referred the request to staff.